Psychological and ethical contexts of diagnosis of hearing children of deaf parents

Abstract

Ethical and methodologically correct diagnosis of a child hearing Deaf parents requires a specialist with extensive knowledge. In every society there are people who use the visual-spatial language – they are deaf people. They are perceived by the majority as disabled people, less frequently as a cultural minority. The adoption of a particular attitude towards the perception of deafness determines the context of the psychologist’s assessment. Diagnosis in such a specific situation shouldbe viewed from the perspective of a child hearing as a bi-cultural person, a descendant of a Deaf parent – a representative of the Deaf culture and himself a psychologist representing the cultural majority of hearing people.